Just Set Up the NU8000 -- Many Queries... - Blu-ray Forum

IntelliVolume · 07-24-2018, 06:26 PM

Okay -- I have the new 65" Samsung UN65NU8000 up and running (the cabinet guys were here yesterday to modify our entertainment center to fit the screen, though some more tweaking is going to be needed due to an open back they left which allows us to see the wires and the wall behind the unit -- not what I wanted) and confirmed that I have my cable box and Blu-ray player/AVR connected via two HDMI ports.

First of all, this is my first HDTV (well, my very first UHD TV) since purchasing our Sony SXRD in 2008 (aside from a 40" LG we bought for our bedroom during the holidays a couple of years back) -- suffice to say, it's going to take some getting used to for me. Beginning with the remote, I don't understand how to program it to control the volume when watching cable transmissions; I understand that I have to reprogram my cable box remote in order to control the TV (with a new code for a Samsung), but I can't seem to use the TV's tiny remote to control the volume. When I press the volume button, it merely mutes and unmutes the sound...can anyone with any Samsung experience help?

With regard to HDR -- there is an option to keep HDR on or off in one of the menus, but when I select it, it seems like it completely changed the look of the cable transmissions (haven't tried it on Blu-ray yet)...like the screen goes dull or dim or something. Is this normal? Should I be using the HDR on the cable input, or just the Blu-ray input? Should I be using it at ALL without a UHD disc player?

Now, with regard to the motion smoothing feature (the soap opera effect) -- by default, this seems to be set to AUTO out of the box but I'm not sure how I like it...I didn't fool around with the sliders for judder and such. I turned it OFF for now because it was making many standard def HBO transmissions look like video...but should I just leave it OFF for Blu-ray film playback as well?

I gotta say...it's gonna take some getting used to when it comes time to make picture adjustments to contrast, color, etc. -- I'm TOTALLY unused to Samsung's value system on these new TVs. For example, with our previous Sony SXRD, the values for contrast, color, etc. were 0 to 100 -- this Samsung's values are like "max of 25" or "50" for parameters like color and such...so weird and different. I left everything in the default Standard picture mode for now, as we didn't really care for Natural or Movie; what's weird is that upon setup and out of the box, the default picture mode setting WASN'T Dynamic...shouldn't it had defaulted to Dynamic out of the box, or is this not the way these TVs are shipping anymore?

I like the "Apply to All Inputs" feature for the picture settings; is there any place in the setup menus wherein I can check to see what the incoming resolution is? On my old Sony, I was able to press an input button on the remote that confirmed we were getting "1080i" or "1080p"...is there any way to check this on the Samsung NU8000?

I'm sure I am going to have a mountain of additional questions, but that's all I can think of now; I know those weird picture setting values are going to make calibration, when it's time, with setup discs difficult and challenging...but if anyone could address some of these aforementioned queries to start with, I'd appreciate it.

ray0414 · 07-24-2018, 11:46 PM

The hdr+ option in the settings menu is actually a seperate mode that will convert sdr to hdr, though the lower the source you use it on, the worse it will look. This is a preference mode. You can use it for real HDR if you want to and it'll make the colors a little more vibrant and supposedly bring out more shadow detail. Again preference if you want to use it.

When using that mode for hdr, you need to adjust the dynamic contrast setting (called contrast enhancer now I think). I think it comes default at medium, but turning it off will brighten the image back up. (contrast enhancer works the opposite when viewing real HDR, putting on low /medium/high will brighten the image significantly).

IntelliVolume · 07-25-2018, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ray0414

The hdr+ option in the settings menu is actually a seperate mode that will convert sdr to hdr, though the lower the source you use it on, the worse it will look. This is a preference mode. You can use it for real HDR if you want to and it'll make the colors a little more vibrant and supposedly bring out more shadow detail. Again preference if you want to use it.

Thanks very much for your input, Ray.

Yeah, I tried switching the HDR mode on when watching cable, but it didn't look right -- it made everything take on a less-vibrant image, if I'm describing it right...almost like the OPPOSITE of what HDR should do.

I don't have a UHD disc player yet, and we're still using our Oppo Blu-ray player as a source, so when watching Blu-rays, should HDR be on or off, do you think? And when I get a UHD player, I should keep HDR ON, probably, correct?

If you are suggesting the HDR is a separate "mode" (like a picture mode), it doesn't seem to be that way in my NU8000 -- there are only four modes for Dynamic, Standard, Natural and Movie. The HDR settings are buried deep inside the advanced picture settings menus.

Quote:

When using that mode for hdr, you need to adjust the dynamic contrast setting (called contrast enhancer now I think). I think it comes default at medium, but turning it off will brighten the image back up. (contrast enhancer works the opposite when viewing real HDR, putting on low /medium/high will brighten the image significantly).

This is going to take some getting used to, lol...I didn't know the contrast enhancer must be used when initiating HDR...

IntelliVolume · 07-25-2018, 07:04 PM

Additionally, Ray (or anyone else who may know) -- I am reading now that this "HDR+" is actually just a post-processing algorithm on Samsung TVs, and it's not actually NEEDED to achieve HDR-enhanced playback...is this true? Do these TVs automatically "engage" HDR+, and the HDR+ "mode" that you speak of is merely to be thought of as a "add-on"?

ray0414 · 07-25-2018, 08:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IntelliVolume

Additionally, Ray (or anyone else who may know) -- I am reading now that this "HDR+" is actually just a post-processing algorithm on Samsung TVs, and it's not actually NEEDED to achieve HDR-enhanced playback...is this true? Do these TVs automatically "engage" HDR+, and the HDR+ "mode" that you speak of is merely to be thought of as a "add-on"?

Yes, real HDR will automatically engage on its own. You can use hdr+ on either sdr or real HDR. But on lower sources such as cable TV, it can make it look funky because the source isn't clean. Also, when applying hdr+ to an sdr source, dynamic contrast should be turned OFF for a brighter picture. But turning dynamic contrast On when watching real HDR will brighten the image.

Hdr+ is a seperate mode but they put it as an option in all picture modes just so it's easier to access. On prior years tvs it was in a different section and harder to get to. Hdr+ mode is a seperate mode just like game mode and sports mode.

BTW, you do not have to use contrast enhancer when watching hdr, but alot of folks think the image is too dark or dull without it, especially tvs that aren't as bright as the flagship models. Experiment with it and see how it works for you.

IntelliVolume · 07-25-2018, 08:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ray0414

Yes, real HDR will automatically engage on its own. You can use hdr+ on either sdr or real HDR. But on lower sources such as cable TV, it can make it look funky because the source isn't clean. Also, when applying hdr+ to an sdr source, dynamic contrast should be turned OFF for a brighter picture. But turning dynamic contrast On when watching real HDR will brighten the image.

So, let me see if I understand what you're saying...this HDR+ is merely a post-processing "feature"/mode that can be used or not used? If this is the case, is this what Samsung touts as its "HDR+" feature, or is HDR+ the automatic algorithm you speak of?

It's just really confusing for someone just getting their feet wet with HDR/UHD, LOL...

For now, on my Blu-ray player HDMI input (#2), being that this isn't true 4K video (it's 1080p being upscaled by the TV to quasi-4K), should I leave the HDR+ ON or OFF?

I guess I am a little confused as to what's going on here -- is the so-called "HDR+" the AUTOMATIC HDR that is applied by the TV, or is what's automatically engaged the "regular HDR" but the user must ENGAGE HDR+ HIM OR HERSELF to take advantage of the "+" part?

Quote:

Hdr+ is a seperate mode but they put it as an option in all picture modes just so it's easier to access. On prior years tvs it was in a different section and harder to get to. Hdr+ mode is a seperate mode just like game mode and sports mode.

So, in other words, if I were to engage HDR+, this would override my STANDARD picture mode setting, and the setting would become "HDR+"?

Quote:

BTW, you do not have to use contrast enhancer when watching hdr, but alot of folks think the image is too dark or dull without it, especially tvs that aren't as bright as the flagship models. Experiment with it and see how it works for you.

I wish it wasn't so damn confusing to buy and watch a display today; I mean, all I want to do is view Blu-ray, DVD and eventually UHD discs...it seems so confusing to set all these parameters beyond the standards of color, contrast, sharpness, etc. I wish someone would build a display that just enables you to turn it on, hook up some sources, maybe pick a picture mode and that's it.

ray0414 · 07-25-2018, 09:41 PM

1. Yes, it's a post processing feature designed to "enhance" both sdr and hdr sources. Enhancing your picture can deviate from director intent, so some choose not to use it. Do u want director intent or do you prefer to choose how the picture looks?

2. Yes hdr+ mode will override and give you an entire new set of settings. Keep in mind the TV will always remember your settings based on the source your inputting. For example, with hdr+ mode (or any mode), it will reapply your settings you last had when watching a 4k Blu Ray or a 1080p Blu Ray, automatically. But the hdr settings will be used for both an HDR Blu Ray and an HDR stream, such as Netflix. Same for sdr. So if you use hdr+ for all hdr sources, the TV will automatically switch to that picture mode. Or if you use movie mode, it'll automatically switch to it when hdr is detected. When you go back to sdr, it'll revert back to the mode you were using when you last watched an sdr source.

IntelliVolume · 07-25-2018, 09:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ray0414

1. Yes, it's a post processing feature designed to "enhance" both sdr and hdr sources. Enhancing your picture can deviate from director intent, so some choose not to use it. Do u want director intent or do you prefer to choose how the picture looks?

2. Yes hdr+ mode will override and give you an entire new set of settings. Keep in mind the TV will always remember your settings based on the source your inputting. For example, with hdr+ mode (or any mode), it will reapply your settings you last had when watching a 4k Blu Ray or a 1080p Blu Ray, automatically. But the hdr settings will be used for both an HDR Blu Ray and an HDR stream, such as Netflix. Same for sdr. So if you use hdr+ for all hdr sources, the TV will automatically switch to that picture mode. Or if you use movie mode, it'll automatically switch to it when hdr is detected. When you go back to sdr, it'll revert back to the mode you were using when you last watched an sdr source.

I think this is going to come into play more once I get a UHD disc player and need to start considering UHD settings...would you agree?

Let me put it like this: When I eventually get a UHD player, would I leave that HDMI input ON the HDR+ mode, to ensure I'm getting Samsung's "premium algorithm" for dealing with 4K material?

Right now, I am only using cable and Blu-ray as external inputs (both sources via HDMI) -- with HDR+ DISENGAGED, am I still getting some kind of HDR applied automatically?

ray0414 · 07-25-2018, 10:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IntelliVolume

I think this is going to come into play more once I get a UHD disc player and need to start considering UHD settings...would you agree?

Let me put it like this: When I eventually get a UHD player, would I leave that HDMI input ON the HDR+ mode, to ensure I'm getting Samsung's "premium algorithm" for dealing with 4K material?

Right now, I am only using cable and Blu-ray as external inputs (both sources via HDMI) -- with HDR+ DISENGAGED, am I still getting some kind of HDR applied automatically?

It's your choice if you want to use hdr+ mode. I'd recommend just experimenting and fiddling with the settings and seeing if you like how it looks.

You'll notice, that with hdr+ on sdr sources, colors may look muted sometimes. This is because hdr will give you more realistic colors, and sometimes a muted color is more correct.

So if your watching a 1080p Blu Ray, it's going to be sdr no matter what. Hdr+ can potentially enhance it, but it's still sdr at heart. The real thing is much better.

IntelliVolume · 07-25-2018, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ray0414

It's your choice if you want to use hdr+ mode. I'd recommend just experimenting and fiddling with the settings and seeing if you like how it looks.

You'll notice, that with hdr+ on sdr sources, colors may look muted sometimes. This is because hdr will give you more realistic colors, and sometimes a muted color is more correct.

So if your watching a 1080p Blu Ray, it's going to be sdr no matter what. Hdr+ can potentially enhance it, but it's still sdr at heart. The real thing is much better.

So when I eventually get a UHD player, is the TV AUTOMATICALLY going to be inserting HDR algorithms into the picture...or do I need to engage HDR+?

I thought HDR+ was a STANDARD for UHD media, not an enhancement...is this incorrect?

Also Ray -- would you be able to help me set up this TV's volume control via the remote? I set it up so that the cable box remote controls power and volume, but I can't seem to get the remote to control the volume (sometimes I prefer that) -- it seems when I press the VOL button on the Samsung remote, this merely mutes the sound and doesn't enable me to control volume up and down...

beefytwinkie · 07-26-2018, 01:27 AM

Hey, man. Glad to see you finally got your TV set up.

Regarding the Volume Button on your remote control, try pushing the little volume bar up and down (up toward the top of the remote and down toward the bottom of the remote) instead of pressing it down into the remote.

IntelliVolume · 07-28-2018, 10:09 PM

Okay, Ray, Beefy and Others Who Can Help...

I posted this over in the HDR thread in the 4K section of the forum, but apparently it's more appropriately suited for this thread...

The following are the majority of the settings I am having trouble understanding on my Samsung NU8000; I have posted what the rtings review of my TV said about each, and then my own comments about them, and I was hoping someone here could give me some feedback regarding what they should be set to:

in GENERAL SETTINGS, rtings suggested:

The first thing we did was to turn off all of the 'Eco Solution' settings since we didn't want the backlight level to change during our calibration. This is recommended if you don't want the brightness of the TV to change automatically depending on the room brightness.

Okay -- so that's the first thing I did, as well...turned off ALL ECO settings.

Then, they talked about BACKLIGHT:

A 'Backlight' setting of 11 gave us a luminosity closest to our calibration target of 100 cd/m². Changing the backlight setting has no impact on picture quality and you should adjust this depending on the brightness of your room.

This is where I think I need some additional help -- I understand that this is going to be dependent on room conditions of an individual user, but this is my FIRST time using a large-screen LCD and I don't know a lot about backlighting. I AM getting a weird spot-like formation across the screen when it's very dark during certain times (like when the TV and Blu-ray player are doing the HDMI handshake to find the right resolution)...as if you could SEE the LEDs shining out from the edges of the screen. I thought this was because the backlighting setting was cranked nearly all the way up...is this so?

Here's what they said about NOISE REDUCTION (Samsung calls it something else) and a little about the frame insertion:

We turned off the 'Digital Clean View', but if you are watching some older low-resolution content, you may want to set it on to make the content smoother and with fewer compression artifacts. For our calibration, we left the 'Auto Motion Plus Settings' Off, but if you like the Soap Opera Effect, 'Auto Motion Plus Settings' is the setting that is related to the motion interpolation.

For Digital Clean View -- i.e. noise reduction -- I left this on AUTO, but I don't know what AUTO actually does when applying NR. The Auto Motion Plus setting I left OFF for now because we didn't like the effect...

Here's what they said about LOCAL DIMMING and CONTRAST ENHANCER:

We set the 'Local Dimming' to 'Low' for the calibration (usually, we turn it off for the calibration, but it is not possible for the NU8000). Like most Samsung edge-lit TVs the local dimming feature is not very effective, so we recommend you use whichever setting you prefer. 'Contrast Enhancer' was left turned off since we don't want to add any extra image processing to keep the content as faithful to the original intent.

I don't know ANYTHING about LOCAL DIMMING; what does this actually do/control? I left this on LOW for now. As for CONTRAST ENHANCER, I left this OFF...

They said some more about the frame insertion here:

Judder control and Motion interpolation (Soap Opera Effect)

The 'Auto Motion Plus Settings' is the menu that controls the motion interpolation and the way the TV deals with judder. This is also known as the 'Soap Opera Effect'. If it is turned off, the TV won't be able to remove judder from any sources (Blu-ray players, native app or cable boxes). To get the best judder-free movie experience you need to set the 'Auto Motion Plus' setting to 'Custom', set the 'Blur Reduction' to 0, set 'Judder Reduction' to 0 and leave the 'LED Clear Motion' unticked. This won't add the soap opera effect.

The 'Auto Motion Plus Settings' also control the NU8000's motion interpolation. Since it has a 120Hz panel, it can interpolate lower frame rate content up to 120Hz. To do so, set 'Auto Motion Plus' to 'Custom' and increase the 'De-judder' and 'De-blur' sliders. The 'De-judder' slider affects 30 fps or lower content, and the 'De-blur' slider affects 60fps content. For both sliders, you can adjust the setting to your liking to add more or less soap opera effect.

Any thoughts?

They said this about GAMMA:

The gamma setting adjustment was set to 2 since it was the closest to our calibration goal. The TV will automatically set the Gamma type automatically depending on the content. You should only adjust the gamma curve with the slider (plus or minus) if you find there is black crush or if dark scenes are not deep enough.

I just left the "slider" they talk about on ZERO (the middle); the TV seems to switch gamma values based on incoming signals, so I just left it...

Here's what they said about the aforementioned COLOR SPACE:

In the 'Color space' setting, it is preferable to leave it to 'Auto'. When set to auto, the color space changes to match the type of content you are watching automatically. Setting the Color Space to 'Custom' will allow calibrating the TV for SDR content. Normally we do not recommend doing this as the TV is already fairly accurate out of the box. If you set the Color Space to 'Custom' you will have to adjust the settings each time you change from SDR to HDR.

Now...out of the box, the TV was set to NATIVE for COLOR SPACE (which the review doesn't mention). I switched this to AUTO, but is NATIVE actually correct?

Finally, here's what they said about the HDR settings for the TV:

HDR Settings

For watching HDR content via an HDMI connection, it is important to set the 'HDMI UHD Color' on for each HDMI input that will receive the HDR content. This will permit the HDMI port to transmit all the bandwidth needed for HDR and tells the TV to expect a 10-bit color signal on that input. If the 'HDMI UHD Color' is not turned on, some devices will not detect the NU8000 as being compatible with HDR. For HDR content, it is also preferable to set the 'Backlight' to maximum, set 'Local Dimming' to 'High' and set the 'Color Space Settings' to 'Auto'.

I am lost here as a novice to HDR; I am supposed to have this mode ENGAGED if I don't have a UHD player yet?

I'm not touching anything about the WHITE BALANCE settings...

IntelliVolume · 07-29-2018, 08:52 PM

Can ANYONE help with the aforementioned settings/controls I outlined for my Samsung NU8000?

beefytwinkie · 07-31-2018, 12:55 AM

Hey, man. Sorry for the late response. Been a wild weekend!

I'd like to help you with your television but please keep in mind your TV is the new hotness while mine is the old and busted. As your TV is a different model than mine, some of the settings options may also be different between our sets.

I also know I probably shouldn't rattle off all the numbers in my settings as they likely won't be helpful for you depending on your lighting conditions, etc., but I'll list out all of my settings here anyways.

The settings I have now make my TV look great whether it's bright out or in a darkened room. I do not have daytime watching and nighttime watching settings. I don't feel like switching my settings depending on the time I watch my TV so I just set my TV the way it looks good to me.

I also try to remove as much processing from the television as possible. I don't like my television processing the picture in any way. I want to watch everything as-is and, hopefully, as faithful to the source as possible. I know my TV upconverts to 4K and what not but other than that, I try to leave as many options off as I can.

Quote:

Picture Mode: Movie

Picture Size Settings: 16:9

Backlight: 10

Brightness: 0

Contrast: 80

Sharpness: 0

Color: 50

Tint (G/R) G50/R50

Apply Picture Settings: All Sources

Digital Clean View: Off - I have had four televisions since 2007 and digital noise reduction is a hell no for me.

Auto Motion Plus Settings: Off - Like Digital Clean View, I have never, ever turned this on in any of my sets.

Local Dimming: Standard - This was set to Standard out-of-the-box. I tried the other settings but didn't really notice anything drastic between each of them so I left it alone.

Contrast Enhancer: Off - Less processing done by the television.

HDR+ Mode: Off - I tried my television with this on and I did not like it at all.

Color Tone: Standard - On my previous sets, I always set this to Warm but for this one, I think I prefer Standard for now. I will switch it later on, I'm sure, just to play with it but I don't really think about this.

White Balance: I don't even mess with this because I have no idea what I'm doing

Gamma: I believe this is automatic depending on the source but whatever it is, I leave it at 0

RGB Only Mode: Off - This appears to be a function to help identify issues with colors.

Color Space Settings: Auto - My television was set to Auto out-of-the-box. I did some reading online and the consensus was to leave it on Auto. I don't question it. It looks fine to me.

IntelliVolume · 07-31-2018, 08:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beefytwinkie

Hey, man. Sorry for the late response. Been a wild weekend!

Hey Beefy,

No problem at all -- thanks so much for taking the time to post this; I truly appreciate it!

Quote:

I'd like to help you with your television but please keep in mind your TV is the new hotness while mine is the old and busted. As your TV is a different model than mine, some of the settings options may also be different between our sets.

I also know I probably shouldn't rattle off all the numbers in my settings as they likely won't be helpful for you depending on your lighting conditions, etc., but I'll list out all of my settings here anyways.

The settings I have now make my TV look great whether it's bright out or in a darkened room. I do not have daytime watching and nighttime watching settings. I don't feel like switching my settings depending on the time I watch my TV so I just set my TV the way it looks good to me.

I also try to remove as much processing from the television as possible. I don't like my television processing the picture in any way. I want to watch everything as-is and, hopefully, as faithful to the source as possible. I know my TV upconverts to 4K and what not but other than that, I try to leave as many options off as I can.

I totally understand what you're saying -- and I wasn't really looking for dialed-in values for color, sharpness, etc., as I am going to set those myself with setup discs when I can. I was more interested in the Expert Settings and other parameters that affect general picture preferences, such as the HDR+ mode, Color Space, Noise Reduction, Motion Smoothing, etc.

That said, let me address some of the settings you mention for your "old and busted" Samsung

:

Quote:

Picture Mode: Movie

I have settled on STANDARD picture mode for now, but I will maybe experiment with NATURAL...can you concur?

Quote:

Picture Size Settings: 16:9

The picture size settings I didn't even mention yet because I had assumed the out-of-the-box default setting was correct; I have to see what that is again and get back to you...

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Backlight: 10

Here's where I had some questions, as well -- it seems backlight is cranked almost all the way up by default on my set, and this MAY be causing some of that dreaded "flashlighting"/blooming wherein I can see the LEDs shining out from portions of the screen...would reducing the backlight help with this?

How did you adjust your backlight level?

Quote:

Brightness: 0

Did you set this using a disc?

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Contrast: 80

In the past, I set Contrast with a setup DVD that, via vocal instructions, said to "reduce this control to 80-percent of maximum." Funny that you're at 80 on YOUR control -- is this 80 out of 100? That's what I had Contrast set at on my old Sony...but with this new Samsung, the Contrast control doesn't run between 0 and 100. I think it's like 0 to 50 or something like that; out-of-the-box, Contrast is maxed out, where I have left it for now.

Quote:

Sharpness: 0

This is another control that was set using the Spears and Munsil Blu-ray calibration disc on my last set; on my previous Sony, "0" Sharpness equated to a softening of the image, so it needed to be set correctly. According to the setup disc patterns, "25" was the correct value for that last TV (on a scale from 0 to 100).

However, with these new LCDs, I am reading that they should be left at ZERO so that no over-sharpening occurs...should my new TV be set with a disc or should I just leave it at 0? Right now, it's at the default setting in the middle of Samsung's range...

Quote:

Color: 50

Tint (G/R) G50/R50

Both of these seemed correct to you in the middle of the scale?

Quote:

Apply Picture Settings: All Sources

You don't do individual calibration settings for each of your inputs?

Quote:

Digital Clean View: Off

Auto Motion Plus Settings: Off

Local Dimming: Standard

Contrast Enhancer: Off

I left Local Dimming to LOW because I thought it was giving a "flashing" effect -- nearly everything else is identical to yours on my set...

Quote:

HDR+ Mode: Off

I have this too on my NU8000 and I am still confused as shit about it -- this is merely a "fake HDR" post-processing feature, is it not? But how does my TV know to apply REAL HDR to UHD discs (I don't have a player yet)? HDR+ is not the TV's internal native HDR processing, is it?

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Color Tone: Standard

I'm in Standard color temperature, as well, thought it MAY be a bit too cool...still experimenting with this...

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White Balance: I don't even mess with this because I have no idea what I'm doing

Agreed -- you leave this all at 0, correct?

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Gamma: I believe this is automatic depending on the source but whatever it is, I leave it at 0

You leave it to 0 on the "sliders," right?

Quote:

RGB Only Mode: Off

Color Space Settings: Auto

Mine here are the same, as well...

Still much more to discuss, but this is definitely a step in the right direction! Thank you, my friend.

beefytwinkie · 08-01-2018, 01:02 AM

I didn't set my TV using any sort of calibration tools. I just did it over time while watching plenty of 4K blu-rays, blu-rays, DVD's, streaming, cable, and playing PS4, PS3, Xbox One, and 360.

As I watched my TV I would tweak my settings here and there. There was definitely no expert workmanship there. LOL

With regard to the Picture Mode, I believe they are really just pre-sets. You can use whichever you want. I recall my first LCD (also a Samsung) would have a lot of options greyed out and not selectable unless the setting was "Movie". When I set the television to "Movie", all the greyed out options would open up and allow me to tweak the television more. Since then, I would always adjust my television settings after first setting the television to "Movie". For the record, I've had three Samsungs and two Panasonics.

I also do not do individual calibrations for all HDMI inputs. I only use one input. Everything is run through my Yamaha or Onkyo receiver. I have no reason to use any of the other inputs on my television except for HDMI 1.

With regard to my settings like tint, gamma, sharpness, etc. I really just left most of it alone or tweaked them here and there until I was satisfied. Like I said, I just set it to whatever I thought looked the best. I'm sure if I had it professionally calibrated or used something as simple as a calibration disc, my television might look better. I'm okay with my settings. I have never had anyone come by and say "Hey, your television settings seem off."

beefytwinkie · 08-15-2018, 03:56 AM

Damn, sorry, dude. I didn't get a notification of our reply and I have the thread subscribed. Weird.

I think most of our settings are pretty close although you have things like Contrast Enhancer set to high for your blu-ray input but I don't utilize separate inputs on my television so I don't know the best setting for yours.

I also don't have the film mode option as I do not have anything less than 1080p going into the television.

I also leave off the noise reduction. From my experience that setting messes up the picture more than helps.

Hope you've had the opportunity to tweak your television and I hope it is looking good for you.

IntelliVolume · 08-15-2018, 05:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beefytwinkie

Damn, sorry, dude. I didn't get a notification of our reply and I have the thread subscribed. Weird.

I think most of our settings are pretty close although you have things like Contrast Enhancer set to high for your blu-ray input but I don't utilize separate inputs on my television so I don't know the best setting for yours.

I also don't have the film mode option as I do not have anything less than 1080p going into the television.

I also leave off the noise reduction. From my experience that setting messes up the picture more than helps.

Hope you've had the opportunity to tweak your television and I hope it is looking good for you.

Thanks Beefy.

That whole "I subscribed to the thread but didn't receive a message about more posts" thing constantly happens to me, so I know what you mean.

As for settings, I have been working with a very gracious member here, Chip, who has been walking me through settings on a step-by-step basis for my Samsung; per some of his recommendations, I am testing the set in MOVIE mode with very small adjustments made to factory defaults such as leaving Constrast Enhancer OFF, leaving Noise Reduction on LOW, leaving Fit to Screen OFF and leaving Local Dimming on LOW.

Don't know how I feel about the mode yet; we watched half of Avengers: Infinity War last night (Blu-ray) in Movie mode and it kind of made my display look like my previous rear-projection set, a Sony SXRD, in that images and colors were a bit too "smooth and soft." I'm still playing around.

That said, if you have any additional input regarding settings for a Samsung, please fire away!

TPerryoo7 · 08-31-2018, 06:39 AM

Local dimming should be set to high, that's what helps with the flash lighting effect and helps blacken the screen in dark/black scenes/transitional moments.

IntelliVolume · 08-31-2018, 11:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TPerryoo7

Local dimming should be set to high, that's what helps with the flash lighting effect and helps blacken the screen in dark/black scenes/transitional moments.

Thank you very much. I appreciate the response.

I moved the setting up to STANDARD (medium) for now, which seems to have helped somewhat, so perhaps you're right about the HIGH setting...but wouldn't this introduce blooming?

07-24-2018, 06:26 PM	#1
IntelliVolume Banned Member since:May 2016	Just Set Up the NU8000 -- Many Queries... Okay -- I have the new 65" Samsung UN65NU8000 up and running (the cabinet guys were here yesterday to modify our entertainment center to fit the screen, though some more tweaking is going to be needed due to an open back they left which allows us to see the wires and the wall behind the unit -- not what I wanted) and confirmed that I have my cable box and Blu-ray player/AVR connected via two HDMI ports. First of all, this is my first HDTV (well, my very first UHD TV) since purchasing our Sony SXRD in 2008 (aside from a 40" LG we bought for our bedroom during the holidays a couple of years back) -- suffice to say, it's going to take some getting used to for me. Beginning with the remote, I don't understand how to program it to control the volume when watching cable transmissions; I understand that I have to reprogram my cable box remote in order to control the TV (with a new code for a Samsung), but I can't seem to use the TV's tiny remote to control the volume. When I press the volume button, it merely mutes and unmutes the sound...can anyone with any Samsung experience help? With regard to HDR -- there is an option to keep HDR on or off in one of the menus, but when I select it, it seems like it completely changed the look of the cable transmissions (haven't tried it on Blu-ray yet)...like the screen goes dull or dim or something. Is this normal? Should I be using the HDR on the cable input, or just the Blu-ray input? Should I be using it at ALL without a UHD disc player? Now, with regard to the motion smoothing feature (the soap opera effect) -- by default, this seems to be set to AUTO out of the box but I'm not sure how I like it...I didn't fool around with the sliders for judder and such. I turned it OFF for now because it was making many standard def HBO transmissions look like video...but should I just leave it OFF for Blu-ray film playback as well? I gotta say...it's gonna take some getting used to when it comes time to make picture adjustments to contrast, color, etc. -- I'm TOTALLY unused to Samsung's value system on these new TVs. For example, with our previous Sony SXRD, the values for contrast, color, etc. were 0 to 100 -- this Samsung's values are like "max of 25" or "50" for parameters like color and such...so weird and different. I left everything in the default Standard picture mode for now, as we didn't really care for Natural or Movie; what's weird is that upon setup and out of the box, the default picture mode setting WASN'T Dynamic...shouldn't it had defaulted to Dynamic out of the box, or is this not the way these TVs are shipping anymore? I like the "Apply to All Inputs" feature for the picture settings; is there any place in the setup menus wherein I can check to see what the incoming resolution is? On my old Sony, I was able to press an input button on the remote that confirmed we were getting "1080i" or "1080p"...is there any way to check this on the Samsung NU8000? I'm sure I am going to have a mountain of additional questions, but that's all I can think of now; I know those weird picture setting values are going to make calibration, when it's time, with setup discs difficult and challenging...but if anyone could address some of these aforementioned queries to start with, I'd appreciate it.

07-24-2018, 11:46 PM	#2
ray0414 Blu-ray Samurai Member since:Oct 2015 Location:Michigan, USA, 35yo Trading Score:9	The hdr+ option in the settings menu is actually a seperate mode that will convert sdr to hdr, though the lower the source you use it on, the worse it will look. This is a preference mode. You can use it for real HDR if you want to and it'll make the colors a little more vibrant and supposedly bring out more shadow detail. Again preference if you want to use it. When using that mode for hdr, you need to adjust the dynamic contrast setting (called contrast enhancer now I think). I think it comes default at medium, but turning it off will brighten the image back up. (contrast enhancer works the opposite when viewing real HDR, putting on low /medium/high will brighten the image significantly).

07-25-2018, 07:04 PM	#4
IntelliVolume Banned Member since:May 2016	Additionally, Ray (or anyone else who may know) -- I am reading now that this "HDR+" is actually just a post-processing algorithm on Samsung TVs, and it's not actually NEEDED to achieve HDR-enhanced playback...is this true? Do these TVs automatically "engage" HDR+, and the HDR+ "mode" that you speak of is merely to be thought of as a "add-on"?

07-25-2018, 09:41 PM	#7
ray0414 Blu-ray Samurai Member since:Oct 2015 Location:Michigan, USA, 35yo Trading Score:9	1. Yes, it's a post processing feature designed to "enhance" both sdr and hdr sources. Enhancing your picture can deviate from director intent, so some choose not to use it. Do u want director intent or do you prefer to choose how the picture looks? 2. Yes hdr+ mode will override and give you an entire new set of settings. Keep in mind the TV will always remember your settings based on the source your inputting. For example, with hdr+ mode (or any mode), it will reapply your settings you last had when watching a 4k Blu Ray or a 1080p Blu Ray, automatically. But the hdr settings will be used for both an HDR Blu Ray and an HDR stream, such as Netflix. Same for sdr. So if you use hdr+ for all hdr sources, the TV will automatically switch to that picture mode. Or if you use movie mode, it'll automatically switch to it when hdr is detected. When you go back to sdr, it'll revert back to the mode you were using when you last watched an sdr source.

07-26-2018, 01:27 AM	#11
beefytwinkie Blu-ray Guru Member since:Oct 2008 4K collection:13 Blu-ray collection:459 Trading Score:6	Hey, man. Glad to see you finally got your TV set up. Regarding the Volume Button on your remote control, try pushing the little volume bar up and down (up toward the top of the remote and down toward the bottom of the remote) instead of pressing it down into the remote.

07-28-2018, 10:09 PM	#12
IntelliVolume Banned Member since:May 2016	Okay, Ray, Beefy and Others Who Can Help... I posted this over in the HDR thread in the 4K section of the forum, but apparently it's more appropriately suited for this thread... The following are the majority of the settings I am having trouble understanding on my Samsung NU8000; I have posted what the rtings review of my TV said about each, and then my own comments about them, and I was hoping someone here could give me some feedback regarding what they should be set to: in GENERAL SETTINGS, rtings suggested: The first thing we did was to turn off all of the 'Eco Solution' settings since we didn't want the backlight level to change during our calibration. This is recommended if you don't want the brightness of the TV to change automatically depending on the room brightness. Okay -- so that's the first thing I did, as well...turned off ALL ECO settings. Then, they talked about BACKLIGHT: A 'Backlight' setting of 11 gave us a luminosity closest to our calibration target of 100 cd/m². Changing the backlight setting has no impact on picture quality and you should adjust this depending on the brightness of your room. This is where I think I need some additional help -- I understand that this is going to be dependent on room conditions of an individual user, but this is my FIRST time using a large-screen LCD and I don't know a lot about backlighting. I AM getting a weird spot-like formation across the screen when it's very dark during certain times (like when the TV and Blu-ray player are doing the HDMI handshake to find the right resolution)...as if you could SEE the LEDs shining out from the edges of the screen. I thought this was because the backlighting setting was cranked nearly all the way up...is this so? Here's what they said about NOISE REDUCTION (Samsung calls it something else) and a little about the frame insertion: We turned off the 'Digital Clean View', but if you are watching some older low-resolution content, you may want to set it on to make the content smoother and with fewer compression artifacts. For our calibration, we left the 'Auto Motion Plus Settings' Off, but if you like the Soap Opera Effect, 'Auto Motion Plus Settings' is the setting that is related to the motion interpolation. For Digital Clean View -- i.e. noise reduction -- I left this on AUTO, but I don't know what AUTO actually does when applying NR. The Auto Motion Plus setting I left OFF for now because we didn't like the effect... Here's what they said about LOCAL DIMMING and CONTRAST ENHANCER: We set the 'Local Dimming' to 'Low' for the calibration (usually, we turn it off for the calibration, but it is not possible for the NU8000). Like most Samsung edge-lit TVs the local dimming feature is not very effective, so we recommend you use whichever setting you prefer. 'Contrast Enhancer' was left turned off since we don't want to add any extra image processing to keep the content as faithful to the original intent. I don't know ANYTHING about LOCAL DIMMING; what does this actually do/control? I left this on LOW for now. As for CONTRAST ENHANCER, I left this OFF... They said some more about the frame insertion here: Judder control and Motion interpolation (Soap Opera Effect) The 'Auto Motion Plus Settings' is the menu that controls the motion interpolation and the way the TV deals with judder. This is also known as the 'Soap Opera Effect'. If it is turned off, the TV won't be able to remove judder from any sources (Blu-ray players, native app or cable boxes). To get the best judder-free movie experience you need to set the 'Auto Motion Plus' setting to 'Custom', set the 'Blur Reduction' to 0, set 'Judder Reduction' to 0 and leave the 'LED Clear Motion' unticked. This won't add the soap opera effect. The 'Auto Motion Plus Settings' also control the NU8000's motion interpolation. Since it has a 120Hz panel, it can interpolate lower frame rate content up to 120Hz. To do so, set 'Auto Motion Plus' to 'Custom' and increase the 'De-judder' and 'De-blur' sliders. The 'De-judder' slider affects 30 fps or lower content, and the 'De-blur' slider affects 60fps content. For both sliders, you can adjust the setting to your liking to add more or less soap opera effect. Any thoughts? They said this about GAMMA: The gamma setting adjustment was set to 2 since it was the closest to our calibration goal. The TV will automatically set the Gamma type automatically depending on the content. You should only adjust the gamma curve with the slider (plus or minus) if you find there is black crush or if dark scenes are not deep enough. I just left the "slider" they talk about on ZERO (the middle); the TV seems to switch gamma values based on incoming signals, so I just left it... Here's what they said about the aforementioned COLOR SPACE: In the 'Color space' setting, it is preferable to leave it to 'Auto'. When set to auto, the color space changes to match the type of content you are watching automatically. Setting the Color Space to 'Custom' will allow calibrating the TV for SDR content. Normally we do not recommend doing this as the TV is already fairly accurate out of the box. If you set the Color Space to 'Custom' you will have to adjust the settings each time you change from SDR to HDR. Now...out of the box, the TV was set to NATIVE for COLOR SPACE (which the review doesn't mention). I switched this to AUTO, but is NATIVE actually correct? Finally, here's what they said about the HDR settings for the TV: HDR Settings For watching HDR content via an HDMI connection, it is important to set the 'HDMI UHD Color' on for each HDMI input that will receive the HDR content. This will permit the HDMI port to transmit all the bandwidth needed for HDR and tells the TV to expect a 10-bit color signal on that input. If the 'HDMI UHD Color' is not turned on, some devices will not detect the NU8000 as being compatible with HDR. For HDR content, it is also preferable to set the 'Backlight' to maximum, set 'Local Dimming' to 'High' and set the 'Color Space Settings' to 'Auto'. I am lost here as a novice to HDR; I am supposed to have this mode ENGAGED if I don't have a UHD player yet? I'm not touching anything about the WHITE BALANCE settings...

07-29-2018, 08:52 PM	#13
IntelliVolume Banned Member since:May 2016	Can ANYONE help with the aforementioned settings/controls I outlined for my Samsung NU8000?

08-01-2018, 01:02 AM	#16
beefytwinkie Blu-ray Guru Member since:Oct 2008 4K collection:13 Blu-ray collection:459 Trading Score:6	I didn't set my TV using any sort of calibration tools. I just did it over time while watching plenty of 4K blu-rays, blu-rays, DVD's, streaming, cable, and playing PS4, PS3, Xbox One, and 360. As I watched my TV I would tweak my settings here and there. There was definitely no expert workmanship there. LOL With regard to the Picture Mode, I believe they are really just pre-sets. You can use whichever you want. I recall my first LCD (also a Samsung) would have a lot of options greyed out and not selectable unless the setting was "Movie". When I set the television to "Movie", all the greyed out options would open up and allow me to tweak the television more. Since then, I would always adjust my television settings after first setting the television to "Movie". For the record, I've had three Samsungs and two Panasonics. I also do not do individual calibrations for all HDMI inputs. I only use one input. Everything is run through my Yamaha or Onkyo receiver. I have no reason to use any of the other inputs on my television except for HDMI 1. With regard to my settings like tint, gamma, sharpness, etc. I really just left most of it alone or tweaked them here and there until I was satisfied. Like I said, I just set it to whatever I thought looked the best. I'm sure if I had it professionally calibrated or used something as simple as a calibration disc, my television might look better. I'm okay with my settings. I have never had anyone come by and say "Hey, your television settings seem off."

08-15-2018, 03:56 AM	#17
beefytwinkie Blu-ray Guru Member since:Oct 2008 4K collection:13 Blu-ray collection:459 Trading Score:6	Damn, sorry, dude. I didn't get a notification of our reply and I have the thread subscribed. Weird. I think most of our settings are pretty close although you have things like Contrast Enhancer set to high for your blu-ray input but I don't utilize separate inputs on my television so I don't know the best setting for yours. I also don't have the film mode option as I do not have anything less than 1080p going into the television. I also leave off the noise reduction. From my experience that setting messes up the picture more than helps. Hope you've had the opportunity to tweak your television and I hope it is looking good for you.

08-31-2018, 06:39 AM	#19
TPerryoo7 Expert Member Member since:Nov 2010 4K collection:44 Blu-ray collection:239 Trading Score:1	Local dimming should be set to high, that's what helps with the flash lighting effect and helps blacken the screen in dark/black scenes/transitional moments.

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